Ribbon mechanism



`June l0, 1930. 1 T SCHAAFF 1,763,068

RIBBON MECHANISM Original Filed July 6, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l E IIIHIIIIIIIIIII|||||||||l|l||||||||||||||||||IIIIHHMM "Wl'llIIl-fm-lmr M, iQ/45422;@

June l0, 1930. .1. T. SCHAAFF RIBBON MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed J'uly, 1927 J. T. SCHAAFF June l0, 1930.

RIBBON MECHANISM Original Filed July 6, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 with'ratchet teeth 11,7 vcut inboth- .rims ofV Patented June 10, 1930 cisiirsl)A STATES PArsN'r @Frick-1 JOHN T. SCEAAFF, WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR T0 THE TABULATING MACHINE COMPANY, OF ENDICO'IT, YORK, A CORPORATION OF Nnwysrnnsnv RIBBON MECHANISM Origin-a1 application led J'uly 6, 192,7, Serial No. 203,765. Divided and this application filed June 26, 1928.

serial Ng. 288,386. Y

This case relates to ribbon feeding, and reversing mechanism andl is avdivision of my application Serial No. 203,765, filed July" The object of this inventionis to provide improved means for feeding and reversing the feed of` an inlringV ribbon.

Another .object is to imparta lateral shifting movementtothe ribbon vcarrying frame itself to distribute the wear on the ribbon evenly.

Various other objects and advantages of my invention will be obvious from the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying the invention or from an inspectionof the accompanying drawings; and the invention also` constitutes certain new and novel features of construction and combination. of parts .hereinafter set` forth and claimed.

In the drawings: Fig. ,1 is a side view ofthe ribbQIlmQChlnism A Fig. 2 is an end view of One .of the ribbon spool mechanisms;

Fig. 3 is 4a section ,on line vSA--Slof Fig. 2v;

' Fig. 4f. is a top view of `.one of the spools u when the ribbon is compleet'ly unreeled therefrom; Y

Fig. 5 is .a side View ofthe machine 1n i which the ribbon mechanismris employed; Fig. 6 is a detail of the ribbon frame shiftv ingrmeans. t

While the application above referred to 'concerned a card controlled printingmachine, the ribbon mechanismf thereof is gen erally applicable to any other type of'print- .ing machine where an inking ribbon is required, as will be clear from the following description.

The ribbon mechanism drawings consists of the ribbon spools 116 each spool. Associated with. each Aspool is ya feed pawl 118 pivoted to aV sliding member bon thereon. To impart this upward move- Y detailed i in l the ment to the `feed pawls, members 119 to` which they are attached are raised once every cycle vof the printing machine by` oscillating bars 121 Which engage the lower sides of pins 122 adjacent bar 121 with the face of said latter y pawl, as seen in Fig. 1 and aswill be further described hereinafter. Thus while both pawls are actuated, only oneribbon spool is positively rotated towind the ribbonthereon. `In

their downward movement, bars 121 permit the Vpins 122 .and thefeed pawls to drop by i gravity. When the ribbon is entirely wound on one spool, Vshifting mechanism comes into action. to cause positiven rotationfofthis spool to cease andpositive rotation of the other spool to begin. 't In Fig. 1, the'position ofthe parts of;y the V'ribbon mechanism during s hifting is shown. The left hand'spdolhasbeen PQStv-ely''otet'ed .t0 iwndfthe ribben ndi- Caieaty nthereongwhiie the right iena spool has beenrotatcd by the pull of the'ribhon and isshown :with ,the ribbon entirely unreeled therefrom. Attachedto the vend of the ribbon is a `bail 126 (Figs and 1) .piv-

' oted yto the spobl Sides ,at 127 and having a projection 1281" As the end of the ribbon on the righthand' spool (Fig. 1) attempts to leave` the spool, itV pulls on the bail causing it to pivotupward, and as a result bail projection128 contacts the inclinednnder side of an arm-H129 has an extension'lSO.

The passing engagement 0f bal'projectQ-n 128 n fitlifthe,farm*129v rocks the latter and its etelison 1.3.0 counterdockwise n @pivot 131, Positioning the end `Vof extensionlSO over the bar 1,21. When the latter rocks upwaij 1y it @geen theendcf @Xteriscn 180.11m Pesiticned it. and. raises the extension and erin 1.29, thalio'vement f the. .letter tak ing place about a pivot 132 fixed in plate 133 rigid with the frame. rIhe pivot 132 has journalled thereon one end of a pawl 134, the other end of which is ournalled on pivot 131. rlhe pawl 134 is thereby raised and the nose 135 thereof is lifted out of engagement with a lug 136 on a sliding plate 137 permitting a spring 138 attached thereto to move it to the right, (Fig. 1). As the plate 137 moves to the right, it engages and moves the right hand feed bar 121 with it and out of contact with the face of the feed pawl 118 which is then moved by the spring 120 into engagement with the ratchet teeth in position to rotate the spool and wind the ribbon thereon. In moving to the right, bar 121 moves the shaft 124 with it. Attached to the other end of the shaft 124 is the left hand bar 121 of the other spool 116 and as the shaft moves to the right it also moves the left hand bar 121 to the right. In this movement, the left hand bar 121 engages the face of the associated feed pawl 118 and holds it disengaged from the cooperating ratchet teeth 117, rendering the pawl inoperative to rotate the spool. The feed of the ribbon is thus completely shifted. To hold shaft 124 in position until shifted an impositive detent 139 on shaft 124 moves over the end of a latching arm 140 pivoted to the ribbon frame and yieldingly held in its upper position by a spring 141. The spring permits the detent 139 to pass over the latch and engage its other side by which it is held locked in position. ns soon as the feed of the ribbon is shifted, plate 137 is moved back to its inactive position to the left. In order to release the pawl 134 and permit it to engage and hold the plate inactive the plate must be moved to the left against the force of spring 138. For this purpose, a bell crank 143 is attached to the late at one end 144 and in its inactive position, the plate keeps the other end 145 of the bell crank ont of the path of cam 146 on the outer end of the main shaft (Fig. 5) projecting from the sides of the machine frame.

When the shifting mechanism causes the plate to move to the right, it oscillates the end 145 of the bell crank into the path of the cam 146 which When it comes into contact therewith, during the same or the succeeding cycle, moves the bell crank 144 and the plate connected thereto to the left, permitting the pawl 134 to drop and hold the s.; zilate in this position while cam 146 has no further effect on the bell crank the end 145 thereof being out of its path. Detent 147 prevents retrograde movement of the spool by engagement with one set of ratchet teeth en the spool. When bar 121 moves to disenthus leaving the spool free to be rotated by the pull of the ribbon being wound on the other spool.

A spring pressed pin 171 bears against the end of the spool shaft and urges a friction knob 175 towards the surface of frame plate 133. A leather washer is placed between the knob and the plate, the friction of the washer preventing overthrow of the spool from which the ribbon is being unwound.

Fixed rods 172 are provided to guide the ribbon in its travel.

For the purpose of evenly distributing the wear on the ribbon, spool supporting frame F is given a periodic transverse movement by means of an eccentric roller 148 which engages the walls of a recess 149 therein. The roller is given a step by step rotation by means of a ratchet wheel 150 iiXed to the shaft of the roller, which ratchet wheel is actuated by a pawl 151 receiving motion from link 113 of the card stacking mechanism. A holding pawl 152 is provided to prevent reverse movement of the ratchet wheel.

While I have shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modiication it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled inv the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. I intend to be limited therefore only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a ribbon mechanism, a spool, a pawl for rotating the spool, driving means for moving the pawl to rotate the spool, a device for actuating said means to release the pawl from the spool whereby the pawl is ineffective to rotate the spool, a member for preventing operation of said device to actuate said means, and an element operated directly by said driving means for releasing said member and permitting said device to actuate the driving means for releasing the pawl.

2. In a ribbon mechanism provided with a pair of spools and a pawl coacting with each spool to drive the latter; a pair of driving elements, one for actuating each pawl, each element being adapted to release the corresponding pawl from its spool, means for actuating said elements to cause one of the latter to release the corresponding pawl from the spool, means for restraining action of the first-named means, and a device actuated by one of said elements for releasing the restraining means from the first-named means and permitting the latter to actuate the other of said elements to release its corresponding pawl from the spool.

3. In a ribbon reversing mechanism, a spool, a pawl for rotating the spool, a member for holding the pawl disengaged from the spool, a device for actuating said memberrto release the pawl for engagement with the` spool, an element controlled by the ribbon on the spool for preventing movement of said device for actuating said member, said element being releasable from the device to permit movement of the device to actuate the member and thereby release the pawl for rotating the spool, and means for automatically returning said device to its initial position after it has moved to actuate said member, said device remaining in said initial position while said pawl is engaging and rotating said spool. y

4. In a ribbon mechanism, a spool, a pawl for rotating the spool, a device for releasing the pawl to permit it to engage and rotate the spool, means for actuating said device, a

member for preventing actuation of the de vice by said means, and a holding element controlled by the ribbon on the spool for dis- 'engaging said member from said device whereby it may be actuated by said means to release the pawl for rotating the spool.

5. A mechanism as set forth in claim 4, saidV means comprising a spring normally urging said device in a direction to release the pawl.

6.\A mechanism as set forth inclaim 4, and means for automatically returning the device to initial position while the pawl remains in engagement with the spool.

7. A mechanism such as set forth in claim 4 including a continuously moving member, and a link actuated by the device upon the release of the latter into cooperation with said member whereby the member is adapted to actua-te said link for returning the device to initial position.

8. A mechanism'such as set forth inclaim 4, a cam member, and a link for cooperating with said member, said link being connected to said device and normally held by said device out of contact with said cam, and movable by said device when the latter is released into contact with the cam whereby the cam and link return-the device to initial position.

9. A mechanism as described in claim 4, said device comprising a plate provided with a shoulder and said member comprising a dog engaging said shoulder to prevent movement of the device. l

10. A mechanism as described in claim 4, and a shaft including a driving element engageable with the pawl upon oscillation of the shaft for actuating the pawl to rotate the spool7 said holding element being actuated by the driving element to cause said memberv to disengage the device whereby the pawl is moved into engagement with the spool.

In testimony whereof I hereto affix my signature.

JOHN T. scHAAFF. 

